Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

Catholics from across the archdiocese gathered at St. Francis of Assisi Church for a series of evening liturgies, each representing a different rite or form, during the week of June 9-13. The church, located at 1960 Bardstown Road, hosted liturgies in the Romanian Rite, Syro-Malabar Rite, Maronite Rite, Ukrainian Rite, and the Ordinariate Form of the Roman Rite.

The sanctuary was transformed each night with traditional objects like the iconostasis used in the Ukrainian Rite and languages such as Romanian and Malayalam. Attendance ranged from 55 to 110 participants nightly, including older Catholics, young families with toddlers, and middle-schoolers from St. Francis of Assisi School.

Jack Cornett, an eighth-grader at St. Francis, expressed his interest in observing the diversity of liturgies to gain a greater understanding of different cultures. Mariana Lemieux attended her first Maronite rite on June 11 and appreciated the opportunity to showcase diversity within the church.

Before each liturgy began, a brief introduction was provided about that particular rite or form. Afterward, celebrants answered questions from attendees. Lemieux found it "a good learning experience" that helped her connect with her faith.

For some attendees like Brendan Sullivan, who participated in the Maronite liturgy on June 11, these events were an opportunity to reconnect with their roots. Baptized in the Maronite tradition in Chicago but without regular access since moving to Louisville in 2023, Sullivan said attending helped ground him by reminding him of his childhood experiences in church.

Father Jonathan Erdman opened the week on June 9 by reading an excerpt from Pope Leo XIV’s May 14 address to Eastern Catholics: “The Church needs you. The contribution that the Christian East can offer us today is immense!”

These featured rites are part of the Catholic Church and are in communion with Rome. They adhere to Catholic doctrine and allow any Catholic to attend and receive Eucharist.